Well, I went for my last class in the men's 18th century tailoring sequence last week...and it was great! I knuckled down and though the official photo of the class hardly shows--I got more done than anyone else. That said, I am feeling my deficiencies vis a vis the actual 18th c. tailor much more severely. They were--well, so much more than me, in more ways than I can possibly explain. Savviness over cut, pattern making skills, sewing proficiency... Still, I've committed--I'm going to measure and cut two more patterns for breeches next week. Now, perhaps because I am under the mild influence of awesome homemade alcohol, I'm going to confess a dirty secret of the 18th century: properly fitting 18th century breeches requires a most invasive measurement of the male perineum. It was easy to accomplish that with a man I've been living with for the past 18 years...but with strangers, I'm just going to have to get it done (and if that is weird--well, these sucka breeches will be tight and fit, even in the crotch).

That said, recent efforts to plan a multi generational trip to Rome (next fall) have made me aware that standards were so different backin the Rennaissance. Nekkid guys--not a big deal. Renaissance men would much rather strip than damage a good set of clothes. On the other hand, nekkid gals--not so well received. Most men never ever saw their wives without clothes, even after marriage. Another way that the past is a different country...Indeed, an event that had adulterers running in their shifts (garments coming fully to the knees) were viewed as mildly pornographic.

BTW, the trip to Rome is going awesome. Since announcing the offer to family, my in-laws and father and girlfriend are coming. It makes for an awesome company, but a rooming challenge. After a bit of dickering with various landlords, we settled with the owner of an apartment just off of the Via Guila (and one block from the Palazzo Farnese)...in a medieval building with an elevator! Meanwhile, I ran a test balloon to R. the other day--what about staying on by ourselves and going to Florence/Venice. Now R's passion is getting to the Leonardo da Vinci museum (in Florence), so this wasn't really a hard sell. We're doing two weeks! Plus heading sometime to see the Leonardo drawings exhibiting in Williamsburg! Now I just have to get it approved at work (which shouldn't be all that difficult, since it's the Thanksgiving holiday).

But work is the weird part. Work is fine, but it looks clearer than ever that my department is going to head eventually to Chicago. Last week, I got word that the VP wanted me to apply for a lateral transfer to the PR department to act as head of vendor management. I said ok, so Monday I have an interview...with my current boss (who recommended me). I don't get it, but I'll roll with whatever they want. We'll see.

Meanwhile, this weekend is my crazy electronics weekend. I was recently elevated to a full member of NoVA labs--a hackerspace in Reston. I am getting over my technology issues and really enjoying it. Meanwhile, this weekend, I"m starting on assembling a hexcopter. Now if those who know how technologically inept I am may understand--this is a huge challenge. I'm taking it step by step...and hopefully, I"ll end with something that flies!

ttyl,

Mary

Over the weekend, I got word of yet another incident where one costumer felt another costumer had slighted her. In retaliation, she got all her friends to shun the offending costumer.
 
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen or heard word of this kind of treatment. Word of these incidents are getting so common that it's gone to the point where I feel it’s time I can't be silent any more. I, who don't post frequently, felt I had to de-lurk to speak out on this subject.
 
In this incident, as with others, nobody bothered to permit the offending costumer a chance to defend herself—to find out if the slight was intentional—or if it even occurred. Instead, punishment was meted out with no explanation to the offender, who found herself inexplicably expelled from expected social interactions.
 
Geesh—how on earth did our hobby become such a club of mean girls?
 
Shunning is identified by psychologists as a form of bullying behavior and has been clinically connected with depression, PTSD and suicide. I’ve been shunned in the past and it was a mystifying and heartbreaking experience.
 
If you’ve done this, look objectively at the person you are shunning and decide if your hurt is really worth getting personally perceived as a mean-spirited bully. While some may follow you on your campaign of retaliation—word will spread, as it did to me this weekend. Believe me—when my friend shared word of this incident, my only perception of the incident was that the retribution was mean, petty and vindictive.
 
It only ended up hurting the bullying costumer's reputation, not the woman who may or may have not slighted her. I"m not going to shun this costumer, but I'm definitely going to be wary of her. Other friends of mine are taking care to completely avoid her.

Now of my friend list here--I honestly don't think anyone would act like this--but I think we have to get Zero-tollerant on this kind of behavior. Children are taught to fight shunning behavior in elementary schools--isn't it about time that we act better than 5th graders?

So, I'm writing this as a open post and hoping it's a subject we start talking about at events and here online. Maybe if more folks write about it in their own LJs and blogs, it might stop. We are the majority, not the bullies. It's time we stood up for civility.

On the side, I've enjoyed photography for a long time--though my work in this hobby has largely been focused on events--mostly political appearances and a few weddings. Through sheer necessity (and work), I've learned to take informal portraits--to the point where I've been paid for some photos and my candids have been featured on major campaign websites. However, outside that box, I feel that I lack photographic skills. This year, I got a new camera--and I really wanted to broaden my capabilities. I started listening to podcasts and quickly found that my favorite was Photography Tips from the Top Floor by Chris Marquardt. Ironically, this podcast is mostly only in audio, but Chris' clear way of explaining the more complicated aspects of photography transcends the media: he breaks down complicated theory into understandable points. So, when I learned that he was going to run a workshop right here in Washington, DC--I jumped at the chance to learn from him first-hand. That's what I did this weekend.

( Read more... )

I made progress on my purple robe anglaise last night. I hemmed the front edges of the skirts and started stitching down pleats. I still have to backstitch them in the gown, but I think I'm going to steam them first, since I have really over handled the silk making pleats. All I have ahead is the bottom hem, sleeves and the back facing. However, doing the sleeves on my own will be interesting, since they aren't fully fit yet and should be fit on me live...

My plan after this is to hold off on trimming until I make another gown. I will also probably remount the petticoat, since it's longer than the gown and I want smaller pleats.

Right now, I want to get the thoughts of the workshop fully in my brain, so hence the notion of a new gown soon. I have some lovely camlet (wool with a little silk and linen) for one I can wear to events.

Meanwhile, Angela (of Burnley & Trowbridge) has posted pictures of the workshop I took for this gown on her Facebook page. I'm also loving checking out the photos from Costume College--so inspiring, yet so distracting!

I thought I'd post here, since it's been a while since I've posted anything--and a while since I've been sewing. Since work has stopped me from doing pretty much most events (the inevitable reality I've faced since I earn no vacation time), I've skipped pretty much everything this year. Add to that the extra 20 lbs I've gained over the past two years left me ill fit in most costumes. So, I've demurred from most events. Fortunately, I'm back on Weight Watchers and getting interviews for new jobs. Two weeks ago, at the urging of a friend, I went to the local sesquicentennial reenactment of the early civil war battle that occurred locally. It was a very big event and I felt darn good! It's nice to have costuming mojo back, though right now I don't have any events in mind (though I suppose there are always dances at Gadsby's tavern).

Which is a very good thing, since in three week's time, I'm going to Burnley and Trowbridge's Robe Anglaise workshop. I've made these kind of gowns, but I've never felt good about folding down the back pleats. So...hopefully this will do the trick. In preparation, I've finally bound a set of stays I made two years ago (what a pain) and I made the petticoat for the gown.

The class is for a hand sewn gown, so I made this by hand. The silk is pretty dark--but it's what I had on hand and after emailing shots of it to Angela, it was deemed okey dokey (I may post more about my fabric choice thoughts later).

So, earlier this week and yesterday, I got sewing. It's a basic apron tied petticoat (tworectangles of cloth sewn up the sides to 10" of the top, then pleated onto two lengths of twill tape like front and back facing apron strings).  I'd say working on it took five hours, including time I spent un-doing the back and reworking it to make it fit better over the bum roll (I added more fabric to accomodate that). 

I'm holding off trimming it--true Robe Anglaises were, from what I can see in period prints and portraits, generally sparsely trimmed, particularly in American portraits. I'm thinking I'll probably stick to just some pinked ruffles at the neckline and possibly the sleeves. Another consideration I've given is achieving a degree of period accuracy...I'm aiming to put this dress in the very early 1780s when there was a brief rage for things purple. The profile of period skirts was pretty full, but Robe Anglaises were not commonly worn with panniers, so far as I can see. I fit the skirt with a bum roll--got a nice full period back look, but that didn't give much side fullness. So, in an experiment, I put my corded petticoat on over the bum roll. That gave it a really nice full look. I don't know if corded petticoats were ever used--has anyone ever heard of this?

BTW--the jacket is an old one from the closet--I noticed the ribbon coordinated, so yay, I scored another outfit! This top is super light, so it might be just the thing to wear if we decide to dress out some night.

I can't say how much fun I've had getting back into hand sewing! However, today I'm going to tune up my featherweight. No, I'm not totally down on machine sewing!

BTW--I notice that almost nobody is posting on LJ of late. I've noticed some folk posting issues with DOS problems on Facebook last winter--is that the reason for the exodus? Is the community moving elsewhere? I've seen some folks reposting on Blogger. Is there any reason? I find reposting such a PITA--and I have found the Blogger interface a clunky substitute for Wordpress, without the community benefits of LJ. However, maybe there's some kind of new community feature there that I've missed? Anyone have any thoughts?

On Thursday, I got a double set of goodies! The first was a order of new embroidery flosses I'd been waiting on for a while--the items were back-ordered, so I had to wait, wondering just whether the colors would work well together. I'm pleased to say, they do!

Here is a shot of the full range of thread I plan to use. In the top row, I have spangles, gold thread, rolls of Gild Sylke Twist and one roll of Soie Gobelins. On the bottom row, it's all Soie Perlee, which will be my primary silk for color work.  Needless to say, I need to get more gold thread (my recent effort making a priest's ordination stole pretty much sucked up two rolls of the stuff). By the way, I'm still working with color choices for the blues and lavenders--I am going to draw from the colors I have, but I'm not sure I'm going to use all of them.

The threads variously came from Hedgehog Handworks, Needle in a Haystack (who also supplied me with the linen) and Thistle Threads. These are all outstanding embroidery suppliers--I recommend them highly.

There's a thing about my choice of threads. For the colorwork, I'm using Au Ver a Soie's line "Soie Perlee." This is the thread used in the Plimoth Plantation Jacket Project  (i.e., my inspiration) --and it's got a super shiny luster--and is tightly spun, rather like a thin pearl cotton thread. However, it isn't the most commonly used product Au Ver a Soie sells--it's got a limited color range--and color cards are not available. Moreover, the local needlework stores (unfortunately, slaves to cross stitch and needle point customers) don't stock it. But--on the other hand, the silk thread lines available locally weren't filament silk (cheaper silk threads are made from chopped up fibers, which are far less shiny) and they also didn't have that nice tightly spun quality which makes detached stitches far easier.

So I took a shot in the barrel and ordered Soie Perlee. I think I'm a good gambler! The colors work together--and resemble the colors of the period.

My other goodie is Jane Zimmerman's "The Art of the Elizabethan Embroiderer!" A needlework friend recommended it to me--and while it took a while to receive it (Jane self publishes this)--it's fantastic! Jane has been fortunate to inspect several Elizabethan jackets and scrutinize their stitches. In this slim volume, she's documented a bunch of different variation filling stitches besides the standard detached buttonhole stitch. Squee! New stitches! I was so excited, I brought it to work Friday and read it over my lunch!

This weekend has not witnessed much stitching. I am expecting the onslaught of a month of houseguests, starting with my friend Joanna, who returns on Monday to DC to do initial research for her dissertation. Tomorrow is graduation day for several in my EFM group. So, my focus has been cleaning. However,  I am finding it rather tough to avoid spending a little time stitching....I've got a new lamp on the project and it's working much better, though the new stitches are challenging my innate lack of direction!

I haven't posted here forever, but some friends are asking what projects I'm working on. So, here is a glimpse at one thing...



I spent most of the spring working on a minister's stole (commission). After, I knew I needed another embroidery project. So, I got two. This one takes inspiration  from the Jacket Project (no, it's part of a coif, not a jacket--I may be insane, but not that insane). The other is my level one Japanese embroidery project. These are things that make me happy. :)

I posted a diary entry of today's effort towards my Olympic Challenge here. If you feel like boosting productivity during the Olympics--join in and share what you do!

I wanted to update everyone...

This morning we went in to the vet and finally figured out Scout's problem: he had feline leukemia. There were options for prolonging his life, but in the mind of the veterinarian, Scout was in great pain and at the point of starvation. So, we decided to put him to sleep. Scout died peacefully in our arms.

Meanwhile, Pilot (the older cat with one eye) is on the mend. His appetite is improving and he is responding to his antibiotic shot. We are very encouraged for him. By the way, the vet does not think Pilot's illness is connected to Scout--the signs are different and appear to be virally caused.

As for Scout's FLV, we believe he caught it as a kitten and it had been dormant ever since (he had been fully vaccinated for it over the whole time he'd been kept domestically). As a precaution, we had the two remaining cats tested--both Pilot and Snuggy are negative and are vaccinated. So, there is no danger to them.

Scout will be cremated and at Kathy's request, the ashes will be laid to rest in Dave's garden. That was Dave's wish, it's a place Scout loved, so that's really appropriate.

Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes. We've been truly touched by the kindness and concern. We miss Scout, but feel happy that we kept him happy for as long as we could.

Mary and Rick

Well, I'm in recovery from an insane month and a half. The fiscal year has changed. I got off work today at 5 pm for the first time in 9 weeks...

Last weekend, when rain, clammy coldness and the swine flu stood in the way of getting off to the Renaissance Festival, I headed to a local aquatic plant club (GWAPA) meeting. The funny thing--this started as DH's hobby--but slowly I've got engaged in it. I was truly inspired several years ago when DH organized a big convention for the hobby and I got to meet--and watch--legendary aquascaper/photographer Takashi Amano in action making an aquascape (and apparently his staff liked me too--photos of me appeared several times in his Japanese aquarium magazine <G>).
Despite my learning difficulties, I love making and viewing beautiful miniature landscapes. Interestingly, the Amano approach has not appealed as much to DH--but he loves that I dabble in it.

A year and a half ago, I bought a fancy 5 gallon rimless tank from Japan, along with what is considered a high-tech approach to growing underwater plants: a C02 system, a very good filter, a high powered light and lots of chemicals. By the way--before the fertilizers make folks squeamish, bear in mind one thing: there is no runoff, so the terrestrial concerns about contamination are different (although I would not want to eat these plants). All of these chemicals are nutrients the plants need to grow and can't get out of tap water. The art comes in getting the right balance between them.

Once I was able to assemble everything I needed to plant it, I started experimenting--and found I could get decent results. However, I'd caught a bit of blue green algae and in the work insanity this fall, I let it slide. Sunday, with a bundle of plants bought at the club auction, I realized it was the opportunity to start something totally new. So, I took everything out and replanted it all. Here is a quick snap of what I ended up with on Sunday (btw, it's clearer when you click into the actual shot):


Not bad. Yes, there are little problems I see with the rocks--but I am pretty satisfied. In a few weeks, the plants will green up and grow in...the water will settle and I can add in fish. I will have a new underwater garden. In my living room.

And in the aftermath of so much work, that is a very good thing!